Welcomed
by musicpenguin27
Summary: The Golden Trio come back to Hogwarts to finish their schooling. Hermione is given a great honor, but it must be shared with someone else. And that man has tormented her for years. Will they be able to survive an entire year together? This will eventually live up to its M rating, I promise.
1. Letters

**Woo! My first fanfic! I've read a lot of different ones and decided to try it on my own. I'd really appreciate reviews and such. I hope you like this. This first one is pretty much an intro chapter. We'll be getting into the good stuff later. Promise :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or it's characters or anything.**

* * *

><p>Hermione sat at the kitchen table at the Burrow with Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Weasleys. She reached across the table for some juice and accidentally bumped Ron's arm.<p>

"Sorry." She said, looking at him with genuine sincerity.

"Ish aw-ite Er-my-knee," he said through a mouthful of food. She looked at her boyfriend with a mix of disgust and knowing love. She had to admit, sometimes it could be pretty cute, in a way. She took her napkin and wiped jam off of his cheek.

"Don't you ever stop eating?" said Ginny from Hermione's other side. Ron just looked at her.

"Now, now. Come on, eat up! As soon as your letters get here, we're going to Diagon Alley," said Mrs. Weasley, bustling along, putting even more food on the already crowded table, "Harry, eat something, dear. You will not leave this house until you eat a good meal. Is there something that you'd like that isn't on the table?"

"No, everything's great, Mrs. Weasley," she smiled at the compliment, "I'm just not that hungry." Mrs. Weasley looked at him, then walked away towards someone down the table who had called her name. Ginny took his hand and whispered something in his ear. Hermione didn't hear it but Harry's face went pink and he took a few bites of food. She looked at Ginny and Ginny simply winked at her. Hermione shrugged slightly and turned back to her food, sitting on pins and needles for her seventh year schedule.

After the war, Hogwarts was closed for about a year to rebuild it, and because of all the damages, no one really got to finish their previous year. The professors did their best to finish courses and they agreed that the students could continue to their next year. Hermione, Harry, and Ron, along with a few others that should've been seventh years, were going back to finish school, and they would be in the same year as Ginny. Hermione was dead set on going back and she had somehow persuaded the other two to go back also. Professor McGonagall had been appointed the new headmaster and they had a memorial made in one of the courtyards for all those who had lost their lives in the war.

Just then, an owl flew through the kitchen window. It hit its wing on a cabinet and came crashing down into the pile of toast in the middle of the table.

"Errol!" said Ginny, taking the letters from the bird's mouth and picking him back up. He flew off to another part of the house as Ginny distributed the letters. When Hermione got hers, she noticed hers was a bit bulkier than the others. She was curious as she opened her envelope. She pulled out the parchment that was inside and started to read it. Her face lit up as she continued reading and when she finished, she started to squeal.

"Bloody hell, what are you going on about?" said Ron, cringing away at the high pitched noise. Everyone was looking at her.

"I just got appointed Head Girl!" she said excitedly. She flipped her envelope upside down and a small, golden badge fell into her hand. Everyone congratulated her and Ginny grabbed her arm and started bouncing in her seat.

"Who's Head Boy? Does it say?" she asked.

"No," said Hermione, "It says I'll meet him at Hogwarts after the feast in McGonagall's office. It also says we'll be sharing a special dormitory just for the Heads. It'll have a common room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and two separate bedrooms."

"Sounds like it'd be quite cozy," said Ginny slyly, glancing at Ron. Hermione looked at Ron too, and he was obviously perturbed with the whole idea. His girlfriend? Share a private dormitory with another guy all year? The thought made his ears red.

"Oh, come now Ronald, it's not like I'm going to be swayed by whoever it is. Quite preposterous, actually, since I'm going out with you." Hermione said gently touching Ron's arm. His expression softened a little bit and he gave a weak smile.

"Alright, enough, enough," said Mrs. Weasley, "We need to get going to Diagon Alley. We need to get you your new supplies for school." She stopped and looked at Ginny with admiration. "My little girl's finally a seventh year!"

"Oi, what about me?" said Ron. Mrs. Weasley simply looked at him.

"You were already supposed to be a seventh year, Ron. But you went and risked your life to destroy Dark Magical objects."

"Yeah, and we're all alive because of it," he said puffing his chest out.

"Yes, Ronald, you did a good job and we're all proud of you for it." She cupped his face with both hands. "But, we need to get a move on if we're ever going to get all of this shopping done." Ron deflated just a little bit and he and Harry went back upstairs to get cleaned up. Hermione and Ginny sat down on the sofa and Hermione was set on memorizing her class schedule before they went to Diagon Alley. Ginny was going on about all the possible wizards Hermione could be rooming with.

"Well, there's Cormac. But he seems a bit too thick to be a Head. Let's see…what about the Slytherin boys?" Ginny eyed Hermione as Hermione tried to ignore what she said, even though her cheeks turned a light pink. "Aha! You fancy one of those Slytherin boys, don't you?"

"Of course not!" Hermione said defiantly, eyes never leaving the parchment, "I love Ron and nobody else."

"Oh, don't tell me you don't fantasize about other boys."

"No, I don't. At least not any that go to our school…" Hermione mumbled the last part, her mind going back to a certain Bulgarian seeker.

"Sure. Whatever flies your broomstick." Ginny said, picking up a book, and looking it over. The boys came back down and they all left by Floo powder. George had left earlier to go to his shop and Mr. Weasley went to work, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley. They stopped at Gringotts before they went and did anything else. They got all of their supplies, plus Mrs. Weasley did some extra home shopping. They decided to apparate back to the Burrow and they started packing for their trip to Hogwarts.

* * *

><p><strong>Stay tuned for more! Don't forget to review! :)<strong>

**Much love! ~musicpenguin27**


	2. The Dormitory

**Thank you for sticking with me! Here's the next part for yous to read and review. Will take any reviews, good or bad. I hope you stay with me for the upcoming chapters that are in the works as we speak. Promise!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, yadda yadda yadda.**

* * *

><p>The train ride to Hogwarts was one and the same: Harry and Ron buying snacks from the trolley, the four of them talking about the summer holiday, and Hermione's nose stuck in a book. She was pre-reading her new Transfiguration textbook, having already plowed through her Potions book. It seemed the train ride went faster than it ever had before, because they were at Hogwarts before they knew it. Hermione was anxious to get the feast over with so she could meet her new roommate.<p>

They climbed into the carriages as they watched Hagrid, who waved at them, lead first years to the boats. Hermione basically ran into the Great Hall when they got there, everyone else straggling to keep up.

"Blimey, Hermione, what's got you all hyped up?" asked Ron. Hermione ignored his question as she found a seat towards the front of the hall. She's always liked sitting towards the front; it allowed her to hear and see everything that was going on. Ron scowled at her lack of answer and plopped down next to her. Hermione was looking around the Great Hall; it was repaired to its old glory, with a few new additions like new portraits on the walls. She turned to look down the table and saw Lavender Brown, staring in her direction. She looked at Lavender with a look of confusion and then realized that she wasn't the target of her gaze. It was Ron, and Ron was staring back. Hermione elbowed him in the side and turned back around, but not before Lavender could throw her a rude look.

Hermione busied herself on putting her new Head Girl badge on while Professor McGonagall led the new years towards the Sorting Hat. She applauded when they were assigned to Gryffindor, but stayed relatively motionless for the rest of ceremony. Once she watched a small girl walk over to the Slytherin table and caught the eye of Draco Malfoy. He looked at her and smirked that infamous Malfoy smirk. She rolled her eyes and didn't look over there for the rest of the ceremony. McGonagall gave a welcoming speech for the first years and explained rules, both old and new, then started the feast.

Hermione ate quickly, wanting to learn who the new Head Boy was. Even Ron told her to slow down, through a mouthful of food, no less. McGonagall cleared the tables of the food and Ron had a sad look on his face.

"Now, the prefects from your respective houses will lead you to your dormitories. Do not worry about your luggage; it has been taken to your rooms for you already. Get unpacked and ready for classes tomorrow. First years, if you need help finding your classes, don't be shy to ask an older student. And will the new Head Girl and Boy meet in my office? Thank you." She stepped down from the podium and started off through the teacher's corridor. Hurriedly, Hermione picked up her bag and got out of the Great Hall, eager to beat her partner to the headmaster's office.

When she got there, two small pieces of parchment were floating in the air in front of the stairway statue. She grabbed the one that said 'Head Girl' and opened it. It said the password for the statue.

"Phoenix tail," she said as she tapped the statue's head. It sprang to life and moved out of the way, bowing.

"Welcome, Ms. Granger." It said. She nodded in acknowledgement and worked her way up the stairs. She stopped just before the office door and dusted herself off, making sure she was presentable. She opened the door and walked in.

"Hello, Ms. Granger," said McGonagall, looking up from the parchment she was writing on, "Please, have a seat while we wait for your partner." She went back to her parchment as Hermione sat down, taking in all the portraits and magical instruments. She was transfixed on a peculiar gadget when the door opened.

"Oh, there you are. Please, have a seat next to Ms. Granger." Said McGonagall, gesturing to the empty chair next to Hermione.

"Are you shitting me?" said a voice Hermione only knew too well.

"Language, Mr. Malfoy. I will not tolerate that kind of behavior here." McGonagall chastised as Malfoy threw himself into the chair next to her. Hermione looked at him in disgust and he returned the feeling. "Now, I expect you two to work together to help keep this school in order. You two will go on patrol together, as well as determine times for the other prefects to go on patrol and who they will be paired with. You have the right to assign detentions and take and give points to the houses. I expect you not to abuse these powers or there will be consequences, considering you two are representatives of this school. Now, if there aren't any questions, I'd like to lead you to your dormitory."

"What I'd like to know is how a snippy jerk like you earned Head Boy." Hermione said, putting venom in her words.

"The same way a mud-" he looked at McGonagall, who gave him a warning look, "a bookworm like you did. Good grades, Granger." Hermione huffed and stood, picking up her things. McGonagall got up and walked to the door. "Mudblood," Draco mumbled to Hermione once McGonagall was out of earshot.

"Ferret," she shot back. Draco's eyes narrowed as he and Hermione followed McGonagall down a series of corridors and staircases, finally stopping at a portrait of a knight on a horse.

"Password?" he asked.

"Mandrake." Professor McGonagall said to the knight. He nodded and bowed as the portrait swung open. McGonagall climbed in first. Hermione was in front of Draco, but Draco pushed her out of the way so he could get in first. Hermione huffed angrily and climbed in the portrait hole. She was amazed by what she saw: a large common room with two large armchairs, both with accompanying side tables, two plush couches, a coffee table in the middle, and a roaring fireplace. The walls were colored with red, gold, green, and silver. There was a moderately sized kitchenette off to one side of the common room with all the amenities you could want and the small but elegant bathroom was to the other side. She noticed her mouth was open just a bit. She shook her head and closed her mouth as she looked at Malfoy. He was smirking arrogantly again. While McGonagall's back was turned, she stuck her tongue out at him. He chuckled at her and McGonagall gave him a funny look.

"Up these stairs here are the dormitories. You can choose which one each of you wants. You are by yourselves here and are expected to get along." Her gaze switched between the both of them, "You have duties others don't and are deemed responsible to handle them. I'll see you two in the morning." She turned and started to leave. "Oh! And if you want to change the password, you simply need to tell Sir McAllen the new password."

"Who?" said the pair of students at the same time. They glared at each other.

"The knight on the portrait. Just tell him the new password. And make sure you tell each other the new password if you change it. Good evening." She turned back and left.

"Good night Professor." Said Hermione.

"Night." Said Draco. They went up the stairs and Draco turned to the right at the landing. "I call this room. Don't dare step in there; I don't want your mudblood germs on my stuff."

That hurt Hermione deeply, but she didn't let it show. "Fine. And to you the same. Stay out of my room and out of my way. I don't need you ruining my grades." Draco rolled his eyes and went into his room to unpack. Hermione walked into her room and started to unpack when her eyes started to sting. She had endured six years of being insulted by Malfoy, she didn't see how this year should be any different. But for some reason this time it really hit her in the core. She wiped away the tears and finished unpacking.

Draco closed the door to his dormitory and leaned up against it.

_Why did it have to be Granger?_ He thought. _Anybody would've been better than Granger. I guess I should've seen it coming, Miss Goodie-Two-Shoes, always kissing up to the professors…I guess that's how I got here, ass-kissing the professors_. He went to lie on his bed, pushing his suitcase off to one side. He inhaled deeply and sighed.

He looked over the room; the walls had changed to a deep green with thin silver stripes. There was a desk and chair on the opposite wall from the bed, sitting square under the sole window in the room. A chest of drawers was against the wall to the right of the bed and next to it, there was a wide, full length mirror. On the last wall, there was a personal fireplace and an armchair and small table, like the ones in the common room. There was a coat rack just inside the door and a night stand in between that and the bed.

Draco had to admit that it was a pretty nice dorm compared to the four person dorm he had stayed in before. He looked at the clock on the night stand; it was only just past eight o'clock. He thought about the encounter that had happened just a few minutes ago. He had noticed how when he called her 'mudblood,' there was a flash of hurt in her eyes. He felt something weird in his stomach as he thought of it more.

_Must've been something I ate at the feast._ He got up and unpacked quickly, throwing clothes into drawers haphazardly. He grabbed his bathroom items and went downstairs.

* * *

><p><strong>I had more written for this chapter but I decided to stop it here. I hope this gives you some incentive to keep with me ;) Thanks for reading! I know this is still kind of slow, but it's getting there. And I know that there was a lot of interior describing, but I want you to get the picture I'm thinking of. Don't forget to review! Until next time! Adieu!<strong>

**P.S. I can't promise on how often I get to update this. I got to do two chapters two days in a row because it's the weekend in between trimesters and I have nothing better to do that write you guys fanfics ;) With Love ~ musicpenguin27**


	3. Broken Nose

**Hey guys! How's it going? That's good. Here's the next chapter for ya! I'm working on making the chapters longer and stuff and I'm actually pretty proud of this one. Yay plot development! Hope you like! Don't forget to review! Anything; you love it, you hate it, you wanna guess my favorite movie...well, maybe not that. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I wish I did. That'd be great, rolling around in a pile of money...*sigh* Oh well. :)**

* * *

><p>Hermione had changed into a large sweatshirt and cotton shorts, her pajamas, and went downstairs to use the bathroom and get ready for bed. Noticing that Malfoy's door was still closed, she deemed it safe to go down. She walked into the room and the room and it was charmed so when someone walked in, the lights turned on. Hermione noticed how it was similar to the motion-activated lights in the Muggle world. She took in the room, piece by piece. The sinks were floating glass bowls with shaped metal faucets that looked like the four house animals; a snake was the spout with a raven perched on top and a lion and a badger as the handles. Hermione thought it was very eloquent. Above the sinks was a mirror that stretched the length of the wall until the toilet, which was next to the shower. The shower was in the corner and large enough for two people and between that and the other wall, there was a large bathtub with different colored vials on the shelf behind it. Hermione looked closer and saw that they were different hair care and bubble bath potions.<p>

She walked back to the sinks and claimed one as hers by putting her toothbrush on the rim. She turned and stubbed her toe on a vanity that she somehow had missed before. She cursed at the pain.

"Oh, so she does know how to curse," said a voice behind her. She turned and faced Malfoy, cheeks pink.

"Bugger off, Malfoy," she said, putting the rest of her things in her vanity.

"Sure, right after you stop snogging Weaselby." He put his things in his vanity.

"I've never snogged Ronald, and why should you care if I do or not, Malfoy?"

"The thought of you and Weaselby, ugh," he shivered mockingly, "Just sickening."

Hermione was slightly offended, even though Ron was as romantic as a rock. He wasn't really one for snogging. "What about you, Malfoy? Aren't you the Slytherin Sex God or some bullshit like that?"

He smirked. "Oh, heard about that have you?" he opened his arms, almost in self-praise. She looked at his chest; his shirt was partially unbuttoned and she could see some of his defined muscles. Her face got hot and she looked back up at his face with a sneer. His smirk grew, "Fancy a piece of this, do you Granger?" She threw a hairbrush at him. He ducked just in time to miss it but didn't miss her elbow to his stomach. He doubled over as Hermione pushed past him to pick up her brush. She went back to replace the brush on her vanity, but Malfoy recovered right before she back to the door. He blocked her way into the room, leaning on the doorframe.

"Get out of the way Malfoy, or the next one will be to your balls." She said menacingly. His arm twitched towards his pants and Hermione snorted. She pushed him out of the way and put her brush back on the vanity. She brushed her teeth and noticed that he was staring at her.

Malfoy watched her brush her teeth. He liked making her angry, it made him feel good for some reason. There was also some other odd feeling in his chest that he said was heartburn. She was kind of cute when she was angry, her cheeks got red and a sparkle came to her—_Hold on! This was Granger we're talking about._ Why was he thinking like this? He was disgusted with himself for thinking these things. He looked at her long legs and wondered how he had never noticed them before.

_Because she's always wearing long socks and skirts._ He thought. Why was he still dwelling on this? Granger was not attractive in any way, shape, or form.

"What are you looking at, Ferret?" she said, bringing him back to his senses. He shook his head blinked. She looked at him as if he were suddenly sprouting wings. He thought of an idea that would make her angrier than ever and he just couldn't resist saying it.

"Just, uh, thinking of how much better those clothes would look on the tile." He said coyly. She gripped the sinks edge, which was still floating in the air, right before she exploded on him.

"You vulgar, crude, asshole of a man! If you think for one moment that you can talk to me like that-" Malfoy could see she was overcome with anger; she couldn't even finish her sentence. He noticed he had taken it just one step too far, this time. She just howled and tried to hit him again but he caught her arms. He spun her around and pushed her out of the bath room. "The next time you do that, I'll hex you into oblivion!" She stormed up the stairs and he heard her door slam. He laughed and finished getting ready for bed. He went upstairs and before going into his room, he glanced at her door. He went into his room and changed into his pajamas and flopped onto his bed, contemplating why making her mad made him feel so much better than it had in previous years. He shrugged it off, rolling over to fall asleep.

As soon as Hermione slammed her door, she cast a Silencing Charm on her room and screamed. She screamed and cursed and screamed and cursed and cursed some more. When she was done, ended up crying.

_Bloody git_, she thought, tears streaming down her face. Why she had to endure this, she didn't know. She thought about telling McGonagall about this, but decided that it'd be best to leave it be. She could handle Malfoy, one way or another, and McGonagall had told them to be civil towards one another or there would be consequences. She made up her bed, getting ready to go to sleep. She tried thinking of a way to get back at Malfoy, but ended up falling asleep before she had decided on a plan.

The next day, Hermione got up early. She looked in the mirror that was on the wall; her eyes were still puffy, but nothing a little bit more time couldn't handle. She went downstairs to take a shower. She went into the bathroom and started running the water. She shut the door and started stripping, then brushed her hair and got in the shower. She noticed that there were hair wash and soap potions in here too. She picked a pink one up and looked at it. There wasn't a label on it, but she opened it up and smelled it; it smelled like strawberries. She used the potion to wash her hair and when she put it back, she noticed it filled itself back up. It was charmed to replenish itself after one used it. She found a different vial, a yellow one, and smelled it. This one smelled like vanilla and she used it to wash her skin.

She paused and looked at the glass door that was steamed up. She started drawing in the steam and giggled; she hadn't done that in years. She had completely forgotten the incident from last night. She started smelling the different vials' contents, deciding which ones she liked and didn't like, as well as which ones were for her and which were for Draco. She stopped and finished washing herself off. She stepped out, careful not to slip on the tile. She grabbed a towel that had magically appeared there on the towel racks on the wall behind the sinks. She dried off her body and wrapped the towel around her and grabbed another for her hair. She brushed her teeth and wiped some steam off the mirror to look at her eyes; back to normal! She sighed and right before she opened the door to leave it was swung open, smashing her in the nose.

"Shit!" she yelled, as her hands sprang to her nose. She staggered away from the door, the towel on her head falling off. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh fuck!" said Malfoy, as he dropped his things and ran to Hermione, "Shit! Sorry, sorry. Lemme see." Blood was gushing from her nose, staining the fluffy white towel around her torso. She let go of her nose, tears freely flowing from her eyes. She jumped when Malfoy touched her face, inspecting her nose. Her face got hot and her stomach did a few somersaults.

As Malfoy assessed the damage he had done, Hermione's eyes looked him over. He was shirtless, wearing only blue pajama pants. She could see his well defined body; his abs, his chest, his arms, all rippling with muscle. She noticed patches of darker skin, crisscrossing across his abdomen; scars from when Harry hit him with Sectumsempra during their sixth year. A small pang of pity hit her and she almost reached to out and touch them. Then she remembered who she was with and felt disgusted at herself for thinking such things. She looked back at Malfoy's face and at that moment, he looked up. His eyes were a dazzling grey color with specks of blue. She could see the concern in his eyes.

"Stay here, I'll be right back." He said, running out of the room. Hermione just stared after him.

Malfoy jumped up the stairs two at a time, feeling horrible for hitting Hermione in the face. He might not like her, but he didn't want to cause her bodily harm. He ran in his room, grabbed his wand and ran back downstairs, jumping the last four steps. He got back down to the bathroom and he found Hermione standing right where he had left her. He had to smile at that; she had actually listened to him, the man she has hated for years.

"Alright, just stand still." He said, about to point his wand at her nose.

"Wait, are you sure you can do this?" Her voice sounded funny because of her nose, "No offense."

He shrugged. "Yes. Just trust me." Saying that sounded weird even to him. He couldn't imagine how it sounded to Hermione. She had learned never to trust him, smart girl. "Episkey."

Hermione shivered when the spell hit her. Her nose got hot and then cooled instantly. She reached up and touched it, expecting a sting, but none came. She looked at him in happiness.

"Thank you!" she said with enthusiasm, "I guess you are an…alright person." She smirked. She almost hugged him but two things held her back: she was covered in blood, and it's Malfoy. She picked the towel up that fell and started cleaning up herself.

"I've changed a bit since we last met." She rolled her eyes. "I'll leave to clean up yourself, Granger." He turned, hand on the doorknob.

"Don't you mean mudblood?" she said with a slight edge, refolding the towel in her hands. He turned back around.

"No, I meant Granger." He said nonchalantly. She gave him a surprised look.

"Alright who are you and what have you done with Draco Malfoy?" She asked. He smiled, genuinely.

"Who knows," he said as he left the room, closing the door. Hermione felt a weird feeling in her chest and stomach. She shrugged it off as just being hungry and finished washing up the blood. She suddenly realized that she was pretty much exposed to him the entire time they were interacting. Her face went a deep red in embarrassment as she left the bathroom to change into her robes.

* * *

><p><strong>Oooh! What's gonna happen next? I dont know and neither do you. Now, close your eyes, make a wish, and review!<strong>

**Thanks! With love~ musicpenguin27**


	4. Breakfast

**Hey! Me again! New chapter is up and so am I. I appreciate the reviews you all are giving. You're awesome.**

**Enjoy! Don't forget to review.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Harry Potter. But I don't, so...The characters belong to JK Rowling.**

* * *

><p>Draco closed the door to the bathroom and sighed in relief. At least she had trusted him enough to let him fix her nose. He would've helped her clean up, but he had just realized that she only had a towel around her. He had turned around before she could him blush. He went upstairs and shut his dorm door. He noticed there was a slight bump in his pants.<p>

_Bloody hell? Why am I turned on right now? This isn't right. It was only Granger._ So she was only in a towel…so what? She was also covered in blood. _Yeah, which was your fault._ Shit, yeah, it was. He did feel bad that he didn't even knock before he entered. He looked at his hands and saw that they had blood—her blood—on them. He reached for the doorknob, then right before he touched it, he backed off, thinking about the girl wrapped in a towel. He balled up his hand and walked away from the door. He sat at the desk and looked out the window. From here, he could see the Black Lake and part of the Forbidden Forest. It looked very calming in the early morning sunlight. Maybe he could go down there today, walk around, just relax. The smell of strawberries and vanilla filled his mind for some strange reason…

He heard Hermione's door close, bringing him back to his senses. He went down to take his shower. When he got to the bathroom, he noticed Hermione had folded his clothes that he had brought down with him when he broke her nose and stacked them on his vanity; a sign of thanks. He washed his hands before he got in the shower. He absentmindedly replayed the morning's events in his mind. He decided that maybe living with Hermione wouldn't be quite as bad as he thought it would be. He smiled as he shut off the water, not really knowing what was changing about him, but he knew that he could probably live with it.

Hermione quickly dressed in her uniform and robes and went back downstairs to leave for breakfast. She threw her hair up into a bun before grabbing her bag and books. As she went downstairs, she stuffed the books into her bag, hearing the snap of a quill as a book landed on it. She swore under her breath and dropped her bag next to one of the chairs to run back up and grab a new quill. She saw the pile of towels from her shower and picked them up, planning simply on throwing them into the bathroom.

She got back downstairs and headed towards the bathroom, not thinking about anything but her desire to go to breakfast. She opened the door and froze. There was Draco, standing in the nude, his back to her. He heard the door open and turned to look, exposing himself even further. He froze for a split second, then grabbed a towel off the rack and covered up, jumping back. Hermione looked down, dropping the towels, and rushing out, face burning with embarrassment. She leaned up against the door for a second, letting out a breath she never knew she caught. Her heart was beating fast from embarrassment and…from something else. She felt a warmth coming from in between her legs. She saw too much, and at the same time, not enough. She had the quick thought to go back and open the door, just to look at him again.

_No, no, no, no, no. Bad. It's Draco for Merlin's sake! This is just because I'm hungry…yeah, that's it!_ Hermione tried her best to forget her roommate as she gathered her things, climbed out the portrait hole, and hurried towards the Great Hall.

When she got to the Great Hall, the house table were almost filled, give or take a few stragglers who were later than she was. She scanned the Gryffindor table for Harry and Ron and noticed Harry flagging her down.

"Mornin' 'Mione," said Harry, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. Ron mumbled some kind of greeting though a mouthful of food. Hermione rolled her eyes and sat across from him. She started to pick out food and load it onto her plate.

"So what's your schedule again, Hermione?" asked Harry, grabbing a slice of toast. Hermione, having her schedule memorized before they were even on the Express, didn't miss a beat.

"I have Transfiguration first, then Charms, then Herbology, Potions, Ancient Runes, and I have a free period for my Head duties," she paused, "Harry, we've gone through this before." Harry waved it off.

"So? I forgot. But speaking about your Head duties, who's the Head Boy? You did find out last night, right?" Hermione nodded and opened her mouth hesitantly to speak, but before she could utter a sound, Ron joined the conversation.

"Yeah, Hermione, what poor bastard has to live with you all year?" Hermione threw a piece of toast at him. He dodged it quickly and it flew past him, hitting some poor Ravenclaw in the back of the head. Hermione's face grew warm and she busied herself with pouring herself some orange juice as the Ravenclaw turned around to find his attacker. "I just mean that you're—"

"Ron, stop before you get hexed…" Harry warned.

"Oh, come on 'Mione," Ron said, reaching across the table to hold his girlfriend's hand, looking her in the eye, "I'm only joking. I think any guy would love living with you—" Hermione smiled, "—as long as they don't mind getting bored out of their mind." Her smile vanished.

"Not helping," said Harry pointedly into his cup before taking a drink. Hermione took her hand back and continued eating.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," said Ron, "Look, I'll make it up to you: I'll do your homework for you." Hermione snorted and gave him an incredulous look.

"Are you mad? You only passed you're O.W.L.s and sixth year because of me. Plus, you hate doing your _own_ homework, let alone do mine, too."

Ron grimaced, "Right, didn't think about that—"

"Obviously."

"—but," he gave her a look, "I'll make it up some other way." He winked. Harry started to chuckle and Hermione smacked him in the arm, silencing him.

"Honestly, Ronald, what I see in you, I have no idea sometimes."

"It must be my charms and good looks," he said, grabbing his drink. Hermione rolled her eyes and smirked. She looked down the table and saw Lavender Brown, not trying to hide her stare at Ron. She pushed the reasonably unpleasant thought out of her head and looked back at Ron. He was draining his glass and just over his head, she saw something flying towards him.

"Ron!" she was able to spit out. He looked back at her, mouth full of juice right before the apple collided with the back of his head. He spit the juice out onto Harry and Hermione, coughing and sputtering. There were uproars of laughter, mainly from the Slytherin table. Malfoy and his goons were the loudest, obviously the ones who threw it. Ron stood up to shout at them, but Hermione grabbed his robes with a sticky hand.

"Don't, it'll only inflate his already big head even more. And if you start a fight on the first day of classes, you'll probably get detention." _Not that starting a fight any other day wouldn't get you a detention._ Ron yanked his robes out of her grasp and sent a dirty look towards Malfoy, who in turn, gave his infamous Malfoy smirk. Hermione just looked at Draco and shook her head and finished cleaning up as much of the juice off of her robes.

"C'mon, let's go to class." Said Harry, pushing away his plate and they gathered their things and left the Great Hall.

* * *

><p><strong>So? You like? Sorry it's not as long as some previous chapters, but what I have after this wouldn't have been as good of a stop point. But! Never fear! I shall work my buns off to figure out the next chapter. I love you all! Lots of love!<strong>

**~musicpenguin27**

**P.S. I can't guarantee when ch. 5 will be ready. But, being a senior, I get out of school in May so...*shrug* who knows ;)**


	5. First Period

**I'm alive! I'm so sorry it took me...*checks calendar*...four months to get this next chapter out D: I was plagued by the worst disease a writer can get...writer's block. I was stuck for so long, trying to get the correct transition. I hope this kind of makes up for me not posting in a while. I'm soo soooo soooooooooo sorry. :(**

**So, please, read and review! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter in any way shape or form. Only the plot of this fic.**

***PS: I haven't had this proofread at all yet, so don't hesitate to call me out on a mistake. I will have this fixed and replaced with the edited version after I get it, well, edited. :P**

* * *

><p>Hermione went to Professor McGonagall's classroom with Ron while Harry parted and went to Flitwick's class. They walked hand-in-hand to the class and they picked seats next to each other on the far right side, middle row. Ron gingerly touched the back of his head.<p>

"Bloody Malfoy…" he said. Just then, the room doors were thrown open, slamming into the walls. Ron spun around, but Hermione had a very good guess who was strutting through those doors. She turned calmly to see Malfoy, yep, she was right, strutting into the room, smirking, naturally. She rolled her eyes and turned back, getting her book, parchment, and quills out. He caught Ron's eye and Ron whipped back around, busying himself with his books and things.

"Oi, Weaselby!" said Malfoy, "Fancy an apple?" Blaise Zabini, following behind, guffawed at the joke.

"Put a sock in it, Malfoy," responded Ron, not turning around, but obviously aggravated. Noticing this, Malfoy egged him on even further.

"This apple could feed your family for a week, right Weaselby? It'd be all you could afford." Some of the other students that had walked in stopped and watched the scene unfold, tension thick in the air. Hermione tried to stay out of it, but she found it increasingly hard to keep her nose buried in her book. _Where is Professor McGonagall?_

"I said," Ron said through gritted teeth, "put a sock in it, Malfoy."

"What? Not gonna get up and fight me? Not so strong when Potter's not around, are you?" He looked at his gang who all started chuckling. Hermione appreciated Ron's efforts to appease her and not get involved, but this had gone too far.

"Malfoy, leave Ronald alone." She said, standing to face him.

"Now look, you need your girlfriend to stand up for you. Not much of a man, now are you, Weaselby?" said Malfoy, adding more fuel to the fire.

"Malfoy!" she said, turning Draco's attention back to her. The class was silent, waiting for someone to snap, eyes flicking back and forth between the Heads. "There's no reason to challenge Ronald's manhood."

"Oh, and you would know all about Weaselby's manhood, wouldn't you, Granger?" Draco said, not hesitating to humiliate Hermione, too. Her face grew pink as a few students snickered.

"At least he's not sodding around the castle, trying to get every girl he sees into bed with him." She fired back, dancing around his question. Malfoy sobered up a bit after her retort, now wishing that McGonagall would show up. A few more students giggled, girls mostly. He shot one a look so fierce, Hermione thought the girl would burst into flames, if possible. She was pretty proud of herself, coming up with a comment like that, even if it wasn't appropriate to bring it up on the first day of classes, but he needed deflating early. Apparently it made Malfoy so angry, he was speechless. He turned his steely gaze back to her- she could practically see the cogs in his head turning, trying to figure out one last comeback- and she answered him with a an innocent but coy smile. Seconds ticked by, the two of them contemplating the next move, the other students so quiet, a pin could drop and it'd be heard, trying not to turn one of the Head's anger on them.

Just then, Malfoy's eyes lightened and he ever so slightly raised his eyebrows and smirked, and idea coming to him.

"At least I'm not a Mudblood," he whispered quietly, changing the subject from Ron to her. It was so quiet, Hermione didn't hear him fully. Some of his housemates near him looked at each other and smiled.

"Come again? I don't believe I-" she started to chide, when he started yelling.

"At least I'm not a bloody Mudblood!" he shouted, causing gasps and mumbling to break out amongst the students and Ron to jump up behind her, ready to defend, just like in second year. Even though then, his wand backfired and he was forced to sit through and wait for slugs to stop from sliding out of his mouth. Hermione's jaw dropped and then she quickly composed herself, signaling to Ron that he should sit back down. He defied her by moving to her left to be next to her, his hand in his robes. Hermione was not only hurt at the use of the name again, but appalled he said it in front of other people in a classroom; in front of his goons and their trio was one thing, but in front of all of their classmates? That was low, even for him. Well…no, she wouldn't put it above him to not use the name in public. She tried to think of something just as hurtful to call him; the metaphorical gauntlet was thrown.

All eyes were on Hermione, waiting to see if she would fire back at Malfoy. Her face hardened, determined to get the last word in. Otherwise, she knew, he would be an insufferable prick later. Then it dawned on her, the thing that would cut Draco Malfoy down to the quick.

"At least I was never branded as a Death Eater." She mumbled, not quite sure of herself. She noticed that Ron shifted, hearing her words. She moved her hand to hold Ron's, and he accepted it, though her eyes never left Malfoy's.

"Speak up, Mudblood, I can't hear you." He said, tapping his ear. She narrowed her eyes slightly and squared her shoulders.

"I said," she spat back, "At least _I_ was never branded as-" The classroom doors opened in the middle of her sentence as Professor McGonagall walked in, not noticing the extremely heated argument that was taking place as she hurried inside.

"I'm so sorry class, there were some first years-"

"-A DEATH EATER!" Hermione shouted. Draco's wand was up and ready before her last word was uttered.

"Miss Granger!" the professor exclaimed. All the heads in the room swiveled to the back of the classroom with looks of relief and surprise. Hermione was particularly horrified, knowing that the headmistress had just heard her call Draco Malfoy a Death Eater. Even after the war was over, that was still a serious accusation. "I am very disappointed in you. Accusing Mr. Malfoy of being a Death Eater should have no importance any more." Draco shot Hermione a superior look, like he was laughing at her for being the one at fault. But that look was soon gone, for McGonagall had turned her attention to him, "As for you, Mr. Malfoy, first put your wand away. You should know full well that the use of spells against other students that could harm them is not allowed outside of class." Her eyes went between the two of them and she sighed. "I am extremely disappointed in the both of you. The two of you are supposed to be role models for this school. Ten points from both Slytherin and Gryffindor and a detention for both of you. I expect to see both of you in my office after dinner." She paused and looked at the other student that remained standing, "And please do sit down, Mr. Weasley, unless you would like to join them in detention."

Ron promptly sat down, as did the other two, an awkward silence filling the room as the professor worked her way to the front of the classroom She got to her desk and turned to look at the class that seemed to be waiting for something to happen.

"Well?" she said to the transfixed students, "get your books and quills out." She made a gesture that said to do it quickly. The class got out of its stupor and started to get ready for their lesson, previously forgotten because of the events that occurred just moments before. Hermione exchanged a heated glance with Draco before finishing getting ready and shifting her attention to the teacher, wondering if the man she was spending the entire school year with had really changed like he said earlier that morning.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I hope this was worth the wait. If it's not, then I'll try harder next time. Thank you for sticking with me through this. I'll make sure to fix any errors I had in it soon. Don't forget to review! Lots of love! 3<strong>

**~musicpenguin27**


	6. Sleep

**OHMIGOSH I'M ALIVE! Sorry to have waited...just under six months to update this :( I've started college and college doesn't really like me. Between college, work, sports, and other obligations, I just didn't have time to work on this as much as I would've like to. I tried to make it longer than the others to try to make up for it. I'M SO SORRY! DX So read, review, and enjoy so I stop feeling horrible about not updating this sooner.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or any characters within, just the words you're about to read.**

***Update 2/11/13*- I have re-uploaded all of the chapters. I went through and reread all of them and fixed errors that were previously missed. So Ch 1-Ch 5 had some grammatical errors fixed and I rewrote a few little things (honestly not enough to go back and reread the whole story). In Ch 1, I fixed my timeline error; I'm trying to keep this as accurate as I can, having it based post-war, and I noticed I had both twins, when really there's only one living. (Sorry if you don't like that I killed off a dead character...) Also, in this chapter, I added in a scene that I forgot needed to be here, so this chapter you might want to reread. Thank guys!**

* * *

><p>Hermione went through her day in a bad mood all day after her first lesson, and it got worse with every new class period; if it wasn't enough they had to room together all year, she and Malfoy shared every class together. Where ever she went he followed, not voluntarily of course. She found a seat as far away as possible every new period, but somehow, most of the professors decided to assign seating and usually put the two Heads together. She was so tense that she didn't eat anything during lunch. The Gryffindor finally found solace during her free period, the one that was supposed to be shared solely with Malfoy. She hurried off to the library after her Ancient Runes class, not caring that they had never set up a meeting place, but only sought to be rid of him. She found a secluded table and chairs in a corner, hidden from view by shelves of books that wrapped around it, and it even had its own fireplace; her favorite spot to study.<p>

She curled up in one of the overly stuffed armchairs with her textbook and worked on her homework, slowly letting the frustrations of the day flow through her quill. She finished all of her homework in record time and started to read ahead…again. She paused to look at her watch and saw that she was going to miss dinner if she didn't leave soon. She packed up her things and skirted around the narrow opening, just to bump into somebody browsing the selection of modern Muggle novels, causing her to drop the books she was carrying.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she stooped down to clean up the papers that had fallen. The taller figure muttered a response as they dropped down to help straighten up. Hermione saw long pale fingers hand over some sheets of parchment and she hastily seized them and stuffed them into a book. They stood as she resituated the books in her arms.

"Thank you." She said quietly with a small smile, finally looking up into Draco's cool grey eyes. _Shite._ She just couldn't win today. Her smile faltered and her eyes narrowed slightly.

Draco watched as displeasure appeared in Hermione's eyes. His face hardened a little as well; she blew him off for their shared period, and for some reason, it bothered him quite a bit.

"Is this where you were this whole time?" He sounded like an irritated parent, causing him to grimace inwardly. His mind did a little flashback to a time when he was being scolded by his father for who knows what. He shook his head slightly and Hermione gave him a confused book.

"Why should you care where I was? I'm just a lowly mudblood, shadowed by your wonderful pure-blood status." Her confusion gave way to bitterness. Now it was Draco's turn to be confused, his brow creasing the tiniest margin. Then his face relaxed into an impassive stare; he remembered what he had said in class that morning. The name had slipped out of him out of habit…well, not exactly; he had used it as a last resort, really. He actually regretted saying it the moment the word left his lips, but was practiced well enough to not change face.

"I care because we were supposed to start work on our Head duties, but you were nowhere to be found. And now I see why." He said, nodding towards the gap in the book shelves. Hermione wasn't trying to hide the fact that she was a little miffed that Draco didn't apologize for the comment, but at the same time, like she didn't expect him to. He fought the urge to roll his eyes because he could only see things getting worse if he did. When she didn't respond, he changed tact.

"Are you off to dinner?" He asked. This obviously caught Hermione off guard, but she was able to stammer out a reply.

"Y-yes," she said, a little bewildered, "I was just leaving." She looked past him as if to ask him to move. He stepped and turned, bowing slightly and gesturing for her to go first.

"Lead the way, Granger. I was just going to leave as well, so I'll accompany you to the Great Hall." He said, falling in line with her.

"How…civil of you, Malfoy." She replied, still confused about his sudden change of attitude.

"It happens," he muttered. He looked down at her slyly to see the corner of her mouth life a fraction. _See Granger? I can be not a total arse._ He realized just how it's been one hell of a day; in the bathroom that morning, breakfast, the row in first period, constantly being reassigned to sit next to Hermione, her mood worsening with every minute, not finding her and just going to their dormitory and finishing his homework, pranking a few first years on his way to the library, and now this. The thought was utterly exhausting, making Draco suddenly very hungry.

They met up outside of McGonagall's office after dinner, as requested per the Headmaster. They were about to receive their punishment from their fight during first period. Draco opened the door and stepped to the side so Hermione could enter first. She nodded her thanks and walked in, traveling to the seats they had occupied the night before. Professor McGonagall was nowhere to be found and the duo sat in silence for what seemed like ages. Hermione kept checking her watch and after a few minutes of stifling silence, Draco got up and started exploring the office, all of the portraits and gadgets on the walls and in cabinets.

"I wouldn't go too far if I was you," Hermione warned, breaking the stillness, "Who knows when Professor McGonagall is going to show up."

"Oh, lighten up, would you?" Draco jumped up the staircase to look at the extensive book collection that occupied the walls of the Headmaster's office. "It's not like anything's gonna hap-" He jumped backwards, letting out a startled yelp, and slamming his back into the wrought iron baluster; an orange cat jumped down off of one of the upper shelves, landing on his shoulder to spring off and land on the top of one of the cabinets. Draco looked at the cat with contempt while it gracefully bounced its way down to the floor and strutted over towards Hermione. She recognized the cat right away, but didn't say anything as she watched the cat saunter behind the desk and leap up onto the large chair behind it.

"Bloody cat…" muttered Malfoy, clomping down the steps.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy, did you say something?" asked Professor McGonagall, sitting in her chair behind the desk. Draco froze and stared at the Headmaster, realizing that she was the cat that jumped onto him. He made his way back to the chairs and sat down.

"I didn't say a thing, Headmaster. I was merely musing out loud why a cat would use a person as a jumping platform." He said coolly, obviously looking for an apology. Hermione looked down at her bag next to her, raising her eyebrows; _typical Malfoy._

"Oh, I would have no idea about that Mr. Malfoy." McGonagall said, turning her level stare towards him. An annoyed look crossed his face as he slumped back into his seat; Hermione had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She cleared her throat and turned back towards the Headmistress. "Now, I understand that you two have not had a long-running history of fondness for each other, but that does not excuse your behavior earlier this morning. I don't know what started it and I don't particularly have an interest in finding out. You two are the best and brightest of your year, in the whole school, and I expect you to behave like it, do you understand?"

"Yes, Professor," said Draco and Hermione together, glancing at each other for speaking in unison. Hermione sat thinking about all the possibilities for the detention they were about to spend together.

"Now, since it's the beginning of the school year, Mr. Filtch, with the aid of some of the house elves, has already taken care of everything thus far. And I am far too busy to go searching for something for you two to do, therefore," McGonagall paused, giving each Head a measured glare, "You two do not have a detention for the time being. But, let me assure you, if this sort of behavior happens again, especially in a classroom, there will be consequences." She put extra emphasis on the last three words.

"Yes, Professor," they said again.

"Wait…what?" said Draco, slightly dumbfounded.

"I said that you two do not have detention, but if you keep asking, I could just force myself to find you something to occupy your time, Mr. Malfoy." She gave him a look that said "do-you-really-want-to-go-any-further?"

Draco grimaced. "Understood, Professor McGonagall." Hermione exhaled in relief; she didn't have to spend a detention with Malfoy. Although, a small and very quiet voice in the back of her mind said that she wouldn't have minded a little bit of alone time with him. _What am I saying? I have to spend all year with him, why would I want to spend _more_ time with him?_

"Thank you, Professor," said Hermione, "Um, may we leave now?"

"Of course, Miss Granger. You and Mr. Malfoy have a pleasant evening, now." Hermione and Draco both stood and gathered their things. Draco, with his longer legs, made it to the door first and exited, not waiting for her to go first this time, but still held the door as he crossed the threshold. Hermione turned and gave a small wave to Professor McGonagall right before leaving, receiving a small smile and a head nod in return.

Hermione sat, reading some random book she borrowed from the library while Draco was sprawled out on one of the large arm chairs, dozing off.

They had walked in semi-comfortable silence from McGonagall's office and parted ways so Hermione could visit her friends in the Gryffindor common room. Draco went straight to their dormitory, and when she got back, he was already asleep. She gently padded up the stairs—so as not to wake him—to her room. She dropped her things on the bed and reorganized the papers that had been haphazardly crammed into books earlier.

She stopped by the kitchenette to fix herself a glass of water. As the faucet filled her glass, she looked up at the back of Draco's head. He was still out cold, looking as if he instantly fell asleep the moment he flopped into the chair. _He's not so bad when he's asleep…at least he's being quiet._ She watched as light from the fire danced off his hair. She imagined running her fingers through his locks, tousling it, then trailing down to his neck, pulling his head closer to hers, their lips touching…

The water spilled over her fingers, causing her to tear herself away from Malfoy's hair and her reverie. She quickly shut the faucet off and dried off her hands. She gulped down half of her water, her mouth suddenly very dry. She shouldn't be thinking this, she had a boyfriend, whom she loved very much…didn't she? Hermione paused her train of thought as she drifted over to one of the sofas.

Did she love Ron? He was one of her best friends, they had known each other since first year when she, Ron, and Harry had teamed together to beat the obstacles on the way to find the sorcerer's stone. She remembered saying that he 'had the emotional range of a teaspoon' at some point. But was he really so bad? Her mind brought up the face of Lavender Brown. She slapped her book cover in frustration, and jumped at the noise and instantly looked over at Malfoy. He shifted in his seat but did not wake up. Hermione exhaled and cozied up against the arm of the couch, cracking open the book she brought with her. She got about twenty pages in before she, too, began to drift off.

Draco heard a loud smack, waking him, but not enough to get up. He rolled over in the chair and tried to go back to sleep. He went in and out of consciousness for a while until he gave and opened eyes groggily. He squinted in the light of the fire, looking around as if he couldn't figure out where he was. He realized he was still in the small common room of the Heads' dorm.

Once his eyes adjusted fully to the light, he was further able to gather his bearings: he was uncomfortably splayed across an armchair, groggy, and he wasn't alone. In the closest corner of the couch to his right slept Hermione, complete with thumb in reading book, loosely marking her place. Her hair was even bushier than normal due to the friction from the sofa's fabric, covering part of her face. He simply stared at her, confused and entranced; he was mesmerized by the firelight dancing off of what could be seen of her face, and confused for feeling that way. He found himself reaching over to her, tucking her hair behind her ear to get a full view of her face, and slowly tracing her cheek with the back of his finger. She stirred, waved her hand sleepily, as if she were swatting at a fly, and mumbled something incoherent; but she never woke.

Draco had jumped back, not wanting to be caught. He shook his head, his wit returning, remembering who he was with. He looked at his watch; it was after ten o'clock! He had slept for almost three hours in that uncomfortable position, and now he could feel it in his neck and back. He got up and stretched, grunting with soreness. He gathered up his things and quietly went to his room. He reorganized his books and changed into his pajama pants.

He went back downstairs to use the bathroom and brush his teeth and was surprised that Hermione was still sleeping on the sofa when he came out. He looked at the clock that was next to the fireplace, then at the girl, going back and forth between the two. He shrugged and walked to the stairs, just to stop and turn around and stand in front of Hermione. He looked at her, assessing the consequences to what he was thinking of doing. Ignoring every possibility that came to mind, he gingerly put his arms under her knees and back and lifted her up. She was lighter than he had expected and he gently adjusted her in his arms. She didn't wake as he jostled her around, her cheek finally resting on his bare chest. His heart started beating faster with the skin-to-skin contact, and it went even faster when she rubbed her cheek on his chest.

He carried her up the stairs up to her dormitory, fumbling with the handle a bit. He carefully deposited her onto her bed and she stirred slightly. He froze, hoping not to be caught in her room without permission. Once he figured it was safe, he cautiously took her shoes off and put them beside the dresser. Draco turned back to look at Hermione again. It would be a bad idea to try to change her clothes for her, as much as he wouldn't mind doing it. He smirked at the dark as his mind wandered, but was brought back to reality when she stirred again. He scampered to the door and slipped through, not risking the chance to look back in hopes she wouldn't see him. He escaped to his room and fell back onto his bed, his heart still racing.

Hermione dreamed she was flying, being lifted up high by the wind. She landed on a cloud, warm from the sun. She curled up and nuzzled it slightly, relishing the warmth. Then the warmth was gone, the cloud vanished. She jumped back, startled. Then she started falling, further and further away from the light. It was getting colder and darker, falling still, and she was unable to shout for help. She reached for the sky, hoping someone would reach down to save her…

She jumped and sat up, scared and covered in a cold sweat. She looked around her room, dazed by the dream. She figured out she was in her bed, in her dormitory, at Hogwarts, and not falling from a cloud up in the sky. She sighed and wiped her forehead in exasperation. Then she thought about it; she was in her bed, in her dormitory. She didn't remember leaving to couch and coming up to bed. She looked down and saw that she was still in her uniform; she definitely wouldn't have gone to bed like this herself. She glanced over at her dresser and saw her shoes were neatly placed next to it, and then looked at the door, bewildered. Malfoy couldn't have…

She got up and peeked out into the small corridor to Draco's door; it was closed and no light leaked out from under it. _He must be in bed_. She went downstairs and cleaned herself up in the bathroom and on her trip back up she paused to look at Malfoy's door one last time. _How could he be so…"nice" in the dormitory or when it's just us, but such a complete prick when he's around others? It's almost like he's two different people…_

Hermione shook her head and went into her room and changed for bed, thinking over how unpredictable the day had been, and it was only the first day of classes! It made her head hurt thinking about how awful the year could turn out to be if this past day was the starting point; she didn't think she would be able to survive if things kept going on like today. She tucked herself under her covers, hoping that tomorrow would be better and slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>So, was it worthy of a six month wait? (Please say yes, please say yes ;]) I hope you liked it! Don't forget to review it so I can know what you liked and didn't like; I love to read what you guys say about my writing!<strong>

**With much love, musicpenguin27**


End file.
